Jharkhand CM arrested in a corruption case
The financial crimes agency of India has apprehended a prominent opposition figure shortly after he stepped down from his role as the chief minister of Jharkhand state.
Hemant Soren, representing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party, faces allegations of corruption, which he vehemently refutes.
Following an extensive seven-hour interrogation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took Mr. Soren into custody on Wednesday evening.
His party has designated Champai Soren, the transport minister, as the successor to the leadership in the eastern state.
Mr. Soren is contesting his arrest in the Supreme Court of India, asserting that it is politically motivated. The court is set to address the matter on Friday.
He joins a roster of opposition figures under scrutiny by India’s central agencies.
The accusations against Mr. Soren revolve around a parcel of land purportedly owned by him in Ranchi city, Jharkhand’s capital.
According to the ED, he acquired the property through illicit means by unlawfully selling land owned by the Indian army.
Disputing the allegation, Mr. Soren maintains that the property was falsely attributed to him.
Reportedly, the ED issued several summons to Mr. Soren, but he declined to appear for questioning.
On Monday, officials visited Mr. Soren’s residence in Delhi only to find him absent. The agency disclosed seizing 3.6 million rupees ($43,381; £34,202) and a vehicle from the premises.
The following day, Mr. Soren emerged in Ranchi, expressing his intention to provide a statement to the agency on Wednesday.
A curfew was enforced within a 100-meter radius of the chief minister’s residence and the ED office in Ranchi on Wednesday evening.
Subsequently, Mr. Soren tendered his resignation, leading to the appointment of Champai Soren as the next chief minister, after which Hemant Soren was apprehended later in the night.
The JMM has decried the investigation against Mr. Soren as a politically motivated “witch-hunt.”
Accusing the federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of leveraging central agencies to target opposition figures ahead of the general elections, the BJP refutes claims of political interference.
India’s main opposition Congress party also condemned Mr Soren’s arrest, calling it a “blow to federalism”. The JMM is a part of INDIA, the Congress-led coalition of opposition parties that is seeking to take on the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the elections.
“The BJP, which is steeped in corruption, is running a campaign to destroy democracy,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Several other chief ministers and opposition leaders are facing corruption allegations.
In November, the ED had summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a case related to a now-scrapped liquor policy in the state. His party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have already been arrested in the case.
The ED is also investigating money laundering allegations against the chief ministers of three southern states – Telangana, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. All the leaders have denied the charges against them.
